A recent study by the Brookings Institutionsaid Kentucky is one of the top states in the country to feel the impacts of automation and artificial intelligence in the workforce.
Murray-Calloway Economic Development President Mark Manning said automation has already affected a large portion of the workforce and that a new generation of machines and AI will soon impact the job market further.
Manning said the groups most at risk are those who graduate high school and don’t pursue any kind of post-secondary education. He said it was once easy for this group of people to find jobs in a sector like manufacturing, but with the rise of automation it is becoming increasingly difficult. “We’ve got to start finding ways for people who don’t go to college or maybe that are already in the workforce to become trained or re-trained, so that they can adapt to the new environment,” he said.
Manning said manufacturing plants that adopt more automation or AI technology will need skilled workers despite a decline in other types of jobs in the sector.
The Brookings Institute report said routine task-intensive occupations like manufacturing and agriculture are the most at risk for automation. The study said America’s Heartland states in particular are at risk due to their specialization in manufacturing and agriculture.
Manning said automation will have a large impact on west Kentucky’s workforce, but that he believes people cannot completely removed from the equation.
